Isaiah 62:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Cry out to the children of Zion, your Savior approaches, bringing His rewards and His work laid out before Him. I will call you holy ones, redeemed by the Lord, though you will be known as the sought after and never abandoned. He foretells the coming of the Savior and speaks of the blessings gained through His arrival and the richness granted to those who believe in Him. Zion is referred to as a daughter, which may denote the ancient Zion, already justified by faith, or the new Zion, representing the Church. It is fitting to call the Church the daughter of Zion, as the Israelites were among the first to believe, while the Gentile Church is akin to the offspring of that foundation.

Who then is entrusted with the mission to evangelize Zion? It is the holy stewards of the mysteries, those authorized to govern the churches, commanded to open the gates and clear the paths. What is the essence of the message they share? Behold, your Savior comes, accompanied by His rewards and work. Two divine and glorious elements draw attention to the Savior's glory. Firstly, the prophets urge Zion to proclaim and embody a life aligned with the law, and they remind of the rewards bestowed upon those who honor God's name. However, they do not dispense spiritual gifts; they merely announce the promises of God. The Savior, being divine, possesses the authority to grant rewards and discern the deeds of all, as it is written, "The ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He observes all his paths" (Proverbs 5:21). Thus, He will come bearing gifts, distributing rewards to those who are deserving.

To Peter, who rightly confessed his faith, He declared: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). All the holy apostles were given power over unclean spirits and the authority to heal every disease and suffering (Matthew 4:23). He assured the thief crucified beside Him that his faith would not go unrewarded, saying, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). Therefore, upon His coming, those who believe in Him will be called holy and will be redeemed by the Lord, for it is not through an intercessor or angel, but the Lord Himself who will deliver us, as recorded (Isaiah 63:9). Yet you, O Zion, or Church, are termed the sought after and never forsaken. To seek is to remember, in contrast to being forgotten as the multitude of unbelievers. Thus, through Jeremiah, Christ said, "I have forsaken My house, I have abandoned My heritage" (Jeremiah 12:7), and through Christ, our Savior, declared, "Behold, your house is left to you desolate" (Matthew 23:38).

For behold, the Lord has spoken to the ends of the earth, proclaim to the children of Zion, "Your Deliverer comes, bringing His reward and His works visible before Him." He will designate this people as holy, the redeemed of the Lord; but you shall be called a city desired, not forsaken.

He instructed the guardians of Jerusalem's walls, previously commanded to remain silent and always pray, to enter through the gates of Jerusalem and prepare the way for the people. Some say this will happen in the last days when, after the full number of the Gentiles comes in, Israel will be saved and turn back to the Lord. Others believe this will come to pass in the heavenly kingdom, where true joy will reign and each will receive rewards based on their merits; where they will see the Lord not in humiliation but as Judge, coming in clouds surrounded by a host of angels to render justice according to their deeds. However, following the interpretation previously begun, we may understand this in relation to the first coming, indicating that the apostles and those who follow them are commanded to enter through the gates that death cannot overpower, removing all barriers so that the people may enter into the Church of the Saviour free from temptation.

Thus, John proclaimed in the wilderness, ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, as Isaiah the prophet stated, Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight; every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low’ (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3-4). This same truth is articulated in another manner. The stones are cleared away by that caretaker of the church who eases every roughness in the hearts of believers. The same Baptist stated that God is capable of raising children of Abraham from these stones (Matthew 3:9). Alternatively, according to the Seventy, one who separates believers from non-believers is clearing the stones from the road. To prevent the Jews from erroneously believing this is directed solely at them, it is added, Lift up a banner for the nations and for the tribes of the Gentiles, such that the message of salvation is not confined to a small territory of the Jews, but proclaimed to the entire earth, that the suffering of the Creator may resonate throughout the world.

Say, declares the daughter of Zion, either because she is called the daughter of Zion, indicating her Jewish ancestry as referred to in the Song of Songs, ‘The sons of my mother are angry with me’ (Song 1:5), or possibly due to her status as a daughter, having received the name of adoption from God. For whoever believes in Him, he grants the right to become children of God (John 1:12). What precisely are the leaders and teachers commanded to articulate to the daughters of Zion? Behold, your Deliverer is coming, who is named Jesus in Hebrew. Therefore, Gabriel instructed Joseph, ‘And you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:21). This Deliverer serves as the Judge of all believers, providing each according to their works: rewards for the righteous and eternal punishment for the wicked (Matthew 16). The Lord and Saviour will declare them, or, as per the Hebrew understanding, the apostles and their successors will refer to them as the holy people, redeemed by the Lord, redeemed through the blood of Christ. The city shall no longer bear the old designation of forsaken, whether due to Jewish commerce, renunciation, or Gentile idolatry; but it shall be called elrusa, as it is known in Hebrew, to signify its continual renewal through the proliferation of virtues.

Additionally, it states: Say unto the children of Zion, Thy Saviour cometh; His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. And they shall call them a holy nation, redeemed of the Lord, and they shall call thee a sought after city, not forsaken (Is. 62:11-12). The apostle Paul reinforces this truth when he declares: Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her by cleansing her with the bath of water through the word; that he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or blemish or any such thing, but that she might be holy and blameless (Eph. 5:25-27).